Amongst the Produce
by iTomato
Summary: Katara. Zuko. The Cabbage Man. A little Sokka on the side. A louse in the cabbage is better than no meat at all. [Zutara]


**MD**: Originally posted on the eljay Zutara community, as a response to a prompt set by _**deathyukata**_. May be slightly OOC, but such is fate.  
_Prompt:_ A louse in the cabbage is better than no meat at all.  
_disclaimer_: Avatar goodies/stuff, I own. Series, I do not.

**Amongst the Produce**

"All I want is a nice, juicy piece of steak," Sokka complained, glaring at each shopkeeper in the market who only carried fruits or vegetables.

"I heard you the first ten times, Sokka," his sister replied, the annoyance dripping in her voice. She stopped at a vendor and examined a melon. "I knew I should have left you back with Aang and Toph."

"And let you wander these streets alone? I think not!"

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, in case you forgot that already."

"Fine. I'll go find some meat on my own," he said, holding out his hand.

She raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Money! I can't buy anything without the cash."

Rolling her eyes, Katara pulled out a few coins. "Only buy a small amount of protein, okay?"

Sokka didn't hear her; he was already prancing down the street, his nose guiding him to the nearest butcher. Sighing, she continued walking along the street vendors in her search for ripe fruits. They all called out prices to their potential buyers, but Katara knew what to listen for. During her travels, she'd become quite good at haggling for food prices.

"Cabbage! Get your fresh, nice cabbages!"

Whirling around, she stared at a very familiar face. The cabbage vendor was standing nearby, grinning proudly as he offered his goods to the world. Sometimes she wondered if the man was following Aang or something, because he always seemed to turn up wherever the Avatar went. She did suppose she could make a cabbage soup for Aang tonight, especially if Sokka was going to buy more meat than necessary.

"Excuse me!" Katara called, hurrying over to him.

"Ah, kind lady! Would you care for a cabbage?"

She nodded, trying to bite back the harshness involved. Why _else_ would she strut over to a cabbage vendor? Before she could start to search for a decent one, a ruckus exploded from down the street. Turning her head swiftly, a cloud of smoke could be seen rising just around the corner. And it smelt like fire.

"Oh, no…" she muttered, immediately fearing her brother had done something stupid and gotten himself in trouble. Another explosion boomed and the smoke traveled, entering the street and slowly shifting around through the air. Snagging her water skin, she readied herself into a defensive position.

She was not expecting someone to come running backward through the fire, tossing back a careless fireball into the smoke from which he came. She heard him swear and as he turned around, she gasped.

"Zuko!"

Her shock didn't last long, however, for he crashed into the cabbage cart and tumbled. Amidst the screams of the cabbage vendor, Katara found herself covered in vegetables, destroyed wood, and… a body. She opened her mouth to scream, but a callused hand quickly covered it.

"Quiet!" he hissed. She clawed at his hand, but he did not pull away. "Do you want to get dragged into this?"

Her eyes shot him a questioning glare, but he grew stiff. She was afraid to move herself and she froze, her hands gripping his wrist tightly.

"Where did he go?" echoed a sweet voice, twisted with malice.

"He's not here," answered another, sounding thoroughly bored.

"Aw, bummer! He's a sneaky one!" bubbled a third, more cheerful tone.

Katara recognized the voices and her eyes widened. Never before in her life had she been more grateful to be covered in cabbages and a prince. Of course, it wasn't as if she had ever been in this sort of situation before, but there was a first time for everything. Evidently, he sensed her fear, for he pressed his body closer to hers, as if trying to hide her. Her heart sped up, although she didn't know if it was in fear or something else.

"He couldn't have gotten far," Azula remarked, and Katara knew the princess's eyes were darting in every direction, scanning every corner of the street. She tried not to tremble under the cabbages and give away her hiding space.

"Zuzu!" Ty Lee bellowed teasingly. Her shoe landed dangerously close to the broken cart, but then turned. "I honestly don't think he's down here."

"Neither do I," Mai added with a hint of annoyance.

Azula growled. "He's still in town. We will find him and that will be that. Split up, ladies. I trust he won't be too difficult to handle. He _is_ my brother, after all."

"Yup, yup!" Ty Lee quipped and Katara could hear her do a swift flip through the air before rushing off.

"Of course," Mai agreed and with nimble speed, she too was off. Azula grumbled once more in anger, before hurrying off as well.

Sighing, Katara relaxed. They were finally gone and she didn't have to worry about keeping still. Realizing she was still incapable of breathing through her mouth, she pushed away his hand.

"No not yet," he whispered. "They're still close by. Unless you're really in the mood to fight them."

"Not particularly."

"Then stay quiet.

She glared again, but did as she was told and remained motionless. It wasn't as if she could move anyway, with him on top of her. She could vaguely hear the despaired cries of the cabbage man, crying over the loss of his produce.

She turned her focus back on Zuko. He was breathing heavily, no doubt due to the battle he had been previously engaged in. She could feel his chest moving up and down against hers and suddenly felt a little self-conscious. Now that the gravity of the danger had gone away, she was aware of how exactly she was positioned. And she wasn't entirely sure she liked his knee between hers.

"Can we –" she started, but he briskly cut her off.

"Not yet. Almost."

She sighed and tried to ignore the odd angle her arm was at. With nowhere else for her hands to go, she rested them next to her head, idly playing with her hair strings. She soaked up Zuko's face, for lack of anything else to do. She no longer considered him a dangerous enemy – they were both fighting against Azula now, and that girl was insane.

His features were still a little boyish, but he was more masculine than her brother without a doubt. His chin was starting to take a rather attractive angle, and she even thought she detected a hint of stubble. This thought made her giggle, and soon his golden eyes were leering at her.

"What?" he barked lowly.

"Oh, nothing…" she replied softly, biting her lip to hide her grin.

"I'm not amused."

He was scowling now, but it wasn't the nasty scowl he adopted in the days when he chased them vigorously. She had to admit, he was handsome, and she couldn't help but think he'd be even more handsome without his scar.

But she didn't know if she could think of Zuko without his scar. It was a part of his character. Without much thought, she reached out softly to touch it.

When her fingers lightly collided tenderly with his face, she expected him to pull away sharply, but he only grew tense. He was clearly uncomfortable, however, so Katara quickly retreated her hand. "Sorry…" she whispered.

He said nothing.

Katara was suddenly overcome with the strangest, most odd urge. Rising her head a few centimeters from the ground, she brushed her lips against his swiftly. His body froze even more tightly than it had when his sister was nearby.

Grasping what she had just done, she felt her face flush in embarrassment as her head collided with the dirt beneath it. She closed her eyes, willing it all to go away. Sokka was going to _kill_ her.

Her eyes shot open when she felt him return her previous actions, but perhaps with more force than she had used. Initial shock was replaced by relaxation as she seemingly melted into the ground and long forgotten cabbages. Her fingers slipped around his face, trying to pull him closer. She felt the soft edges of his hair through her now shut eyes and ran her hands through his dark locks, as he deepened their kiss.

A low "Mmm…" escaped her throat, and she felt the corners of his lips twist into a smirk. Not wanting him to get cockier, she gripped his shoulders and attempted to flip him over.

She only managed to move him slightly, but his back fell out of the cabbages, and he rolled a little. Her body followed as they burrowed out of the vegetables and broke free into fresh air.

"_You_!" an angry voice bellowed.

Katara and Zuko froze, before he pushed her roughly off his chest. He was on his feet in an instant, standing face to face with a very angry cabbage vendor. In a slight daze, Katara managed to climb to her own feet, despite a wobbly tingle in her legs.

"You destroyed my cabbages! And then you have a kissing fest in their remains!" he wailed, throwing his arms in the air. "My poor, poor cabbages!"

Blushing at the man's words, Katara glanced to the side at Zuko. He was still as stone, staring at the pile of now worthless vegetables on the ground.

"It was a life or death situation," he said simply. He turned to Katara, and she saw a slight reddish hue dancing on his cheeks. "I'm sorry."

And then he turned on his heels, running off quickly and vanishing around the street corner. Before the cabbage man could turn his fury on her, Katara quickly dashed off herself, anxious to get anywhere but here.

Rounding a corner, she crashed into a body and nearly fell before strong arms gripped her shoulders. "Katara? You okay?"

"Sokka!" she said with relief, throwing her arms around him.

"I should leave you alone more often," he contemplated, before pushing her away gently. "There was some kinda commotion nearby and the butcher closed. I didn't get squat."

"Oh, that's too bad," she sighed, knowing full well what the commotion had been.

"Tell me about it," he groaned as they began to walk back to their campsite. "I notice you didn't get anything either?"

"I did run into that cabbage vendor we see everywhere…"

"Didn't get any cabbages?"

"Um, well, not really…"

"Rotten stuff inside?"

"…Used goods."

**END**

**MD: **Because everyone needs to makeout in some vegetables. 8D  
Please review. Teehee?


End file.
